Toy roudnabout



June 17, 1958 c. E. PAUL 2,839,296

' TOY ROUNDABOUT Filed Dec. 31, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q) 'w 96 a0 76 72 (O (D O i (0 Char/ es Ephraim Paul INVENTOR.

Fig-2 BY'fimwwl -i m June 17, 1958 c. E. PAUL 2,839,296

TOY ROUNDABOUT Fig. 4

Charles Ephraim Paul INVEN TOR.

and paws Em limited States Patent TOY ROUNDABOUT Charles Ephraim Paul, Buffalo, N. Y., assignor of fifty percent to Lena Paul, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application December 31, 1954, Serial No. 479,141

1 Claim. (Cl. 27231) This invention generally relates to a toy and more specifically includes a rotatable turret having a plurality of radial arms extending therefrom with simulated vehicles interconnecting the ends of the arms together with simulated animals or like objects mounted thereon for providing a novel and intriguing toy.

An object of this invention is to provide a toy that is simple in construction, novel in appearance and operation, entertaining, well adapted for its intended purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toy having a circular trackway with vehicles positioned on the trackway together with arms secured to the vehicles and pivotally mounted on a central rotating turret wherein the vehicles will be moved over the trackway and the trackway being provided with various elevations will guide the vehicle over a generally wavy path which follows the contours of the trackway.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a toy driven by an electric motor together with novel means for attaching radial arms to the central turret for permitting vertical swinging movement of such arms but also urging the arms in a circle defined by the center of the rotatable turret.

These together with other objects and advantages WhlCh will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the toy of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the toy showing the general variations in elevation of the trackway;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmental sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of Figure 1 showing the details of construction of the trackway and the driving mechanism;

Figure 4 is a top plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 4-4 of Figure 3 showing further structural details of the drive mechanism for the toy of the present invention; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the construction of the articulated parts or platforms on which the simulated animals are detachably mounted.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral generally designates the toy of the present invention. The toy 10 generally includes a circular trackway designated by the numeral 12 and a central turret generally designated by the numeral 14. The toy 10 includes a central support member 16 joined by a plurality of radial spoke members 18 which terminate in vertically upstanding web portions 20 which are secured to a peripheral side wall 22 on their outer ends and to a trackway 24 on their upper ends. The trackway 24 is peripherally attached to the side wall 22 and 2,839,296 Patented June 17, 1958 ice the web portion 20 of the plurality of spokes 18. The web portions 20 of the spokes 18 are of varying heights thereby providing a trackway 24 of various elevations as generally illustrated in Figure 2. The peripheral side wall 22 is also constructed of varying heights in general conformance to the changes in elevation of the web portions 24 and the trackway 24. Also, it will be seen that the side wall 22 projects slightly above the upper surface of the trackway 24 as indicated by the numeral 26. Also, the trackway 24 and the upper edges of the web portions are inwardly and downwardly inclined thereby forming a trackway extending about the central support member 16.

In one of the spokes 18 is provided an enlarged. hous ing 28 having a motor 30 therein of any well known construction that is powered by electricity received through a suitable conduit 32 which may be connected to any 616 volt source by connectors 34. The electric motor 30 is provided with a drive shaft 36 projecting through the upper surface of the housing 28 and having a drive gear 38 mounted thereon. The drive gear 38 is in meshing engagement with a larger idler gear 40 that is mounted on a shaft 42 positioned in a socket 44. integrally secured to the shaft 42 above idler gear 40 is a smaller gear 46 in meshing engagement with another idler gear 48 mounted on a shaft 50 that is journalled in a socket 52 in the central support member generally designated by the numeral 16. Secured at the upper end of the shaft 50 is a drive pinion 54 in meshing engagement with an internal ring gear 56 mounted on a rotata'ole shaft or post 58 journalled in a socket 60 in the central member 16. Integrally formed on the ring gear 56 is a bottom clamp plate 62 and movably positioned over the shaft 58 is a movable clamp plate 64 which is secured to the bottom clamp plate 62 in clamping relation by screw fasteners 66. The lower clamp plate 62 and the upper clamp plate 64 are provided with generally semispherical recesses 68 on the facing surfaces thereof for receiving spherical balls 70 on the inner end of a plurality of radially extending arms 72. Each of the arms 72 is provided with a ball 70 seated in complementary recesses 68 and extending outwardly through notches 74 in the peripheral surfaces of the facing edges of the clamp plates 62 and 64. A peripheral vertical Wall 76 is secured to the shaft 58 by an upper wall 78 and the vertical wall 76 is provided with a plurality'of vertically disposed elongated closed end slots 80 for permitting vertical swinging movement of the arms 72 but assuring that the arms 72 will rotate about the center of the shaft 58 as driven by the electric motor 30.

Rotatably positioned on the outer end of each arm 72 is a wheel member 82 which engages the upper surfaces of the trackway 24 thereby supporting the arms 72 in relation thereto.

Fivotally interconnecting and attached to the outer ends of the arms 72 is a plurality of carts or vehicles generally designated by the numeral 84 and including an upper surface 86 having depending side flanges 88 with projecting ears 90 and 92 thereon. The width of the top surface 86 generally tapers from front to rear as illustrated in Figure 5 so that the cars 90 on the front thereof are spaced a smaller distance apart than the ears 92 on the rear end thereof so that the cars 90 on the forward end of one of the carts 84 will be received between the corresponding rear ears 92 on the next adjacent cart 84 thereby pivotally articulating the outer ends of the radial arms 72 for retaining the arms 72 in spaced relation and also supporting a plurality of simulated animals 94 thereon. The animals 94 are provided I The motor 38' drives through the reduction'gearing systemforme'd by the meshing gears"38',-40,- 46', 48, 5 4-an'd 56 thereby rotating a central turret defined by the vertical peripheral plate 76 together with the upper and lower clamp plates'62 and 64 whichsecure the arms 72 thereto for rotation therewith and vertical swinging movement in relation thereto. As the arms ro't'ate aboutthe center formed by the rotatable post or shaft 58, the wheels 82 will move along the 'trackway 2'4 and generally follow the contour thereof wherein the various carts 84 will proceed along the variations inelevation of the trackway 24. It will be seen that various types of animals 94 or other objects may be positioned on the carts 84 as desired and they may be interchangeable to show any sequence or arrangement of animals that may be employed in certain instances. The slots 80 in the vertical wall 76 limit andguide the vertical swinging movement of the arms 72 and also retain the arms 72 in a radial relation in relation to the clamp plates 62and 64.

It will be understood that the device of the present invention may be utilized in various ways and is primarily designed as a toy that may be constructed of any suitable materials lending itself to relatively inexpensive manufacturing procedures so that the toy of the present invention may be relatively inexpensively manufactured.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, -it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A toy comprising an enlarged circular undulated trackway, a central turret, a plurality of radially extending arms attached to said turret, a rotatable; wheel-on theouter end of each arm engaging the upper surface of the trackway, simulated vehicles having a fiat upper surface pivotally interconnecting the outer ends of said arms adjacent the wheels forretaining' the arms in spaced relation and forming a generally continuous articulated member, simulated objects removably mounted on said vehicles, and means for'rotatin'g said turret thereby moving the arms and wheels around the trackway, a central support member, a plurality of spokes extending radially from said central support member to' said trackway for V rigidly interconnecting the central support member and a the traekway, said central support member having a socket therein, a vertical post 'rotat'ably journaled in said socket, said turret mounted on'said post for rotation therewith, a ring gear mounted on said turret in engagement with the rotating means, and means interconnecting said arms and turret for permitting vertical swinging movementfof -s'ai'darms', s'aid'arm and turret interconnecting means including a sphericzilball on the end of each arm, a pair of separable clamp plates with one of said'plates being secured to said 'post for rotation therewith, the facing surfaces of said plates having a plurality of comple'mental recesses forreceiving said ball ends, said recesses being substantially semi-spherical in shape for permitting angular movement of'the-a'rms in relation to theplates'and preventing longitudinal move-f ment of the arms, said one plate having a rigid upstanding peripheral'guide' plate surrounding said clamp plates in concentriespa'ced relation, said guide plate having a plurality Ofcldsedend slots vertically disposed therein for receiving the arms thereby guiding and limiting the vertical swinging movement of said arms and transmitting rotational force to'the arms from the turret.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 127,174 Lansing May 28, 1872 820118 Johnston May 8, 1906 1,181,187 Troutman May 2, 1916 1,627,192 Mayes May 3, 1927 1,651,487 Traver Dec.'6, 1927 1,847,569 Mayes Mar. 1, 1932- 

